Harry Kane was inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo when he made his first steps in soccer and is now using the Portugal superstar as a motivating force almost two decades later.
“Just watching Ronaldo score his 901st goal yesterday, seeing him compete at 38, 39 years old, it just inspires me to play as long as possible,” Kane said Monday, a day before he becomes the 10th Englishman to reach a century of international caps.
Click to Gallery
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Scotland at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Scotland at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Bayern's Harry Kane prepares to throw the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
England's Harry Kane and Harry Maguire during a training session at St George's Park, Burton-on-Trent, Britain, Friday Sept. 6, 2024. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
England's Harry Kane, left ,get past the challenge of Ireland's Will Smallbone, during the UEFA Nation's League soccer match between Ireland and England at the Aviva stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
England's Harry Kane attends a press conference at Carlton House, Maynooth, Ireland, Friday Sept. 6, 2024. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)
To mark that milestone, Kane — England’s captain and all-time top scorer with 66 goals — will be presented with a gold cap before kickoff at the Nations League match against Finland at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
The Bayern Munich striker will be the first England player since Wayne Rooney in 2014 to get to 100 caps and, at 31 and still one of world soccer’s most lethal strikers, is on track to break former goalkeeper Peter Shilton’s record of 125 appearances for the national team.
Ronaldo’s numbers are in a different stratosphere, however. The five-time world player of the year took his goal tally for Portugal to 132 — a world record in men's international soccer — on Sunday by scoring a winner against Scotland in what was his 213th appearance, also a men's record.
Kane sees Ronaldo pushing the boundaries approaching the age of 40 and said it “motivates me to know I have many more years ahead at the highest level.”
“I think to have that hunger, desire and determination, almost a sense of keeping wanting to prove people wrong, prove to yourself that you can be the best you can be,” Kane said, “then whenever the day comes when you stop playing, you can be proud of what you’ve done.”
Kane believes his ability to drop deeper and play as a No. 10, instead of simply being an out-and-out striker like Ronaldo, could improve his longevity in the game.
He said he also feels rejuvenated playing under a new coach at Bayern – Vincent Kompany – who preaches a high-intensity style. That also happens to be the preferred approach of Lee Carsley, who has just taken charge of the England team on an interim basis and got his tenure off to a fine start with a 2-0 win in Ireland on Saturday.
“It’s all about intensity — football in general is becoming more and more that type of style where you have a lot of man-to-man pressure and one-vs.-one battles on the pitch and it’s something you have to be able to cope with,” Kane said. “It’s probably only going to get more physical and more tough as the years go on.”
Kane made his debut in a 4-0 win over Lithuania in March 2015, scoring just 79 seconds after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Nine-and-a-half years later, he has played in more games at major finals (28) than any other English male player and has played in more competitive matches (83) than any other senior men’s international.
Kane, who wore golden boots during a training session on Monday, will start against Finland and be captain for the 73rd time.
“I feel in really good shape. I feel physically and mentally at a peak in my career,” he said.
“I love representing England more than anything, and I don’t want it to end anytime soon. For me, it’s about continuing to improve and being consistent, both in an England shirt and at club level. Who knows how many caps I can get or how many goals I can get, but I am hungry for more."
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Scotland at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Scotland at the Luz stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Bayern's Harry Kane prepares to throw the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
England's Harry Kane and Harry Maguire during a training session at St George's Park, Burton-on-Trent, Britain, Friday Sept. 6, 2024. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
England's Harry Kane, left ,get past the challenge of Ireland's Will Smallbone, during the UEFA Nation's League soccer match between Ireland and England at the Aviva stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
England's Harry Kane attends a press conference at Carlton House, Maynooth, Ireland, Friday Sept. 6, 2024. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump, who overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, will be sworn in as the 47th president on Monday, taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country's institutions.
Trump will act swiftly after the ceremony, with executive orders already prepared for his signature to jumpstart deportations, increase fossil fuel development and reduce civil service protections for government workers, promising that his term will bring about “a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride.”
He plans to try to strike a hopeful tone and call for unity, according to excerpts of his prepared speech provided by a Trump official, who insisted on anonymity to preview the speech.
“I return to the presidency confident and optimistic that we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success," the excerpts say. “A tide of change is sweeping the country.”
Frigid weather is rewriting the pageantry of the day. Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda — the first time that has happened in 40 years — and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event at a downtown arena. Throngs of Trump supporters who descended on the city to watch the inaugural ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol from the National Mall will be left to find somewhere else to view the festivities.
“God has a plan,” said Terry Barber, 46, who drove nonstop from near Augusta, Georgia, to reach Washington. “I'm good with it."
Trump's speech excerpts spell out that he plans to sign a series of “historic executive orders.”
“With these actions, we will begin the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense,” they say. “My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor, and the vitality of history’s greatest civilization.”
When Trump takes the oath of office at noon, he will realize a political comeback without precedent in American history. Four years ago, he was voted out of the White House during an economic collapse caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Trump denied his defeat and tried to cling to power. He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying the election results, sparking a riot that interrupted the country’s tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.
But Trump never lost his grip on the Republican Party and was undeterred by criminal cases and two assassination attempts as he steamrolled rivals and harnessed voters’ exasperation with inflation and illegal immigration.
Now Trump will be the first person convicted of a felony — for falsifying business records related to hush money payments — to serve as president. He will pledge to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution from the same spot that was overrun by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. He’s said that one of his first acts in office will be to pardon many of those who participated in the riot.
Eight years after he first entered the White House as a political newcomer, Trump is far more familiar with the operations of federal government and emboldened to bend it to his vision. He has promised retribution against his political opponents and critics, and placed personal loyalty as a prime qualification for appointments to his administration.
He has pledged to go further and move faster in enacting his agenda than during his first term, and already the country's political, business and technology leaders have realigned themselves to accommodate Trump. Democrats who once formed a “resistance” are now divided over whether to work with Trump or defy him. Billionaires have lined up to meet with Trump as they acknowledge his unrivaled power in Washington and ability to wield the levers of government to help or hurt their interests.
Trump has pledged to bring quick change to the country by curtailing immigration, enacting tariffs on imports and rolling back Democrats' climate and social initiatives.
Long skeptical of American alliances, his “America First” foreign policy is being watched warily at home and abroad as Russia's invasion of Ukraine will soon enter its third year and a fragile ceasefire appears to be holding in Gaza after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.
Trump, who spent Saturday and Sunday night at Blair House across from the White House, will begin Monday with a prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Then he and his wife Melania will be greeted at the executive mansion by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the customary tea. It's a stark departure from four years ago, when Trump refused to acknowledge Biden's victory or attend his inauguration.
The two men and their spouses will head to the Capitol in a joint motorcade ahead of the swearing-in.
Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn-in first, taking the oath read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a bible given to him by his great-grandmother. Trump will follow, using both a family bible and the one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration as Chief Justice John Roberts administers his oath.
The inaugural festivities began Saturday, when Trump arrived in Washington on a government jet and viewed fireworks at his private golf club in suburban Virginia. On Sunday, he laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery and rallied his supporters at Washington’s downtown Capital One Arena.
A cadre of billionaires and tech titans who have sought to curry favor with Trump and have donated handsomely to his inaugural festivities, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, will be in attendance.
Also present will be the head of TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social media app deemed a national security risk by the U.S. Trump has promised to lift an effective ban on TikTok through one of many executive orders expected to be issued on Monday as the new president attempts to show quick progress.
At his Sunday rally, Trump teased dozens of coming executive actions, promising that “by the time the sun sets” on Monday he will have signed executive orders involving border security and immigration policy, including a revival of Trump’s first-term effort to shut down access to many new entries under what’s called Title 42 emergency provisions.
Others orders are expected to allow more oil and gas drilling by rolling back Biden-era policies on domestic energy production and rescind Biden's recent directive on artificial intelligence.
More changes are planned for the federal workforce. Trump wants to unwind diversity, equity and inclusion programs known as DEI, require employees to come back to the office and lay the groundwork to reduce staff.
“Expect shock and awe,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
“What I’ve been urging the president, and my colleagues, to do is stay laser-focused on delivering on our promises,” Cruz said. “And that’s what I expect that we’re going to do.”
With control of Congress, Republicans are also working alongside the incoming Trump administration on legislation that will further roll back Biden administration policies and institute their own priorities.
"The president is going to come in with a flurry of executive orders,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “And we are going to be working alongside the administration and in tandem.”
AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and AP writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
Follow the AP's coverage of Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
The U.S. Capitol is seen from the top of the Washington Monument at dawn on Inauguration Day, Monday, Jan.20, 2025 in Washington. (Brendan McDermid/Pool via AP)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Snow falls on the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)